Mason Community Donates More than 1,000 Books for Charity Initiative

Through a collaborative project involving the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement (CLCE), University Services, the George Mason University Bookstore, and Recycling and Waste Management, 1,156 books filling 46 boxes were collected this spring for Books for Africa through Better World Books.

This is nearly double the number of books collected in the fall. The fall semester was the first time students on the Fairfax Campus had the opportunity to donate their books for reuse for charity through this program.

The books were collected at several locations; books that were damaged were recycled. A total of 1,790 books were collected through the program this year.

Better World Books helps reuse books in several ways. The organization will resell them if possible, donate them to schools in Africa and also collaborate with libraries.

The effort also helps Mason fund students’ service-learning trips through CLCE’s Alternative Break Program. Through these breaks, students travel for a week and volunteer to help address a community issue, such as conservation, affordable housing, health care or education.

For more information about the Better World Books program, see the web site.

For more information about Mason’s program, see the CLCE web site or contact Heather Hare, associate director of CLCE or Dan Waxman, sustainability projects manager in University Services.